> You don't> see this sort of thing in small groups, where there is often a grievance> set off by a particular incident, or a pattern of growing up in> the midst of ongoing (generally off-and-on) hostilities.

Jim, wouldn't you consider it to be war (assuming you didn't mean it
here below) - according to this definition of yours - when some group is
taking hostile actions because they are threatened by some another
group?